Leslie Brooks (born Virginia Leslie Gettman; July 13, 1922 – July 1, 2011) was an American film actress, model and dancer.

Early life

Born in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

, her parents brought her to Southern California at an early age, where around 1940 she started work as a photographic model. At the beginning of her showbiz career she appeared as Lorraine Gettman.

Career

As Leslie Brooks, she began appearing in movie bit roles for Columbia in 1941. Brooks started landing more sizable parts in such movies as ''

Nine Girls ''Nine Girls'' is a 1944 American mystery film directed by Leigh Jason and starring Ann Harding, Evelyn Keyes and Jinx Falkenburg.Blottner p.167 Karen DeWolf, Connie Lee, and Al Martin wrote the script, which was based on a play by Wilfred H. Peti ...

'' (1944), ''

Cover Girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph features on the front cover of a magazine. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a casual, once-off appearance by a person on the cover of a magaz ...

'' (1944), and the lead in the

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

classic ''

Blonde Ice ''Blonde Ice'' is a 1946 crime film noir starring Leslie Brooks, Robert Paige, and Michael Whalen. Based on the 1938 novel ''Once Too Often'' by Elwyn Whitman Chambers, the B picture was directed by Jack Bernhard, with music by Irving Gertz. ...

'' (1948). She retired from films in 1949, but returned to make one last film in 1971.

Personal life

Brooks was born in

on July 13, 1922, daughter of Paul and Fern Clark Gettman. She spent much of her childhood with her paternal grandparents who ran a hotel in Crofton, and attended high school in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

. Brooks was married twice and had four daughters. She wed her first husband, actor Donald Anthony Shay, January 6, 1945, in Beverly Hills, California. They had a daughter, Leslie Victoria (b. 1945), and divorced in 1948. She married Russ Vincent in 1950, and remained married until his death 51 years later. Brooks and Vincent had three daughters together; Dorena Marla (b. 1954), Gina L. (b. 1956) and Darla R. (b. 1960).

Death

Brooks died on July 1, 2011, at the age of 88 in

Sherman Oaks, California Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...

and was buried at the

Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills is one of the six Forest Lawn cemeteries in Southern California. It is located at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, California 90068, in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. Histor ...

in Los Angeles.

Selected filmography

* ''

Yankee Doodle Dandy ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Ro ...

'' (1942) as Chorus Girl in "Little Johnny Jones" (uncredited) * ''

You Were Never Lovelier ''You Were Never Lovelier'' is a 1942 American musical romantic comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. The supporting cast also features Adolphe Menjou, Xavier Cugat and Adele Mara. The music was com ...

'' (1942) as Cecy Acuña * ''

Lucky Legs ''Lucky Legs'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Charles Barton and written by Stanley Rubin and Jack Hartfield. The film stars Jinx Falkenburg, Leslie Brooks, Kay Harris, Russell Hayden, Elizabeth Patterson and William Wright. The ...

'' (1942) as Jewel Perkins * ''

Overland to Deadwood ''Overland to Deadwood'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by William Berke and written by Paul Franklin. The film stars Charles Starrett, Russell Hayden, Cliff Edwards, Leslie Brooks, Norman Willis and Matt Willis. The film was released ...

'' (1942) as Linda Banning * ''

Underground Agent ''Underground Agent'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by Michael Gordon and starring Bruce Bennett, Leslie Brooks, Frank Albertson, and Julian Rivero. The film was released by Columbia Pictures. Plot Two U.S. government agents (Bruce Ben ...

'' (1942) as Ann Carter * ''

Two Señoritas from Chicago ''Two Señoritas from Chicago'' is a 1943 American musical comedy film directed by Frank Woodruff and starring Joan Davis, Jinx Falkenburg and Ann Savage.Stephens p.24 The film's sets were designed by the art director Lionel Banks. Cast * Joan D ...

'' (1943) as Lena Worth * ''

City Without Men ''City Without Men'' is a 1943 American film noir crime film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Linda Darnell, Edgar Buchanan and Michael Duane. It was released by Columbia Pictures on January 14, 1943. A group of women lives in a boarding ...

'' (1943) as Gwen * ''

What's Buzzin', Cousin? ''What's Buzzin', Cousin?'' is a 1943 American musical film directed by Charles Barton and written by Harry Sauber and John P. Medbury. The film stars Ann Miller, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, John Hubbard, Freddy Martin, Leslie Brooks and Jeff ...

'' (1943) as Josie (1943) * ''

'' (1944) as Roberta Holloway * ''

'' (1944) as Maurine Martin * '' Tonight and Every Night'' (1945) as Angela * ''

I Love a Bandleader ''I Love a Bandleader'' is a 1945 American musical comedy film directed by Del Lord and starring Phil Harris, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson and Leslie Brooks.Foster p.184 Main cast * Phil Harris as Phil Burton * Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson as Newt ...

'' (1945) as Ann Stuart * ''

The Secret of the Whistler ''The Secret of the Whistler'' is a 1946 American mystery film noir based on the radio drama '' The Whistler''. Directed by George Sherman, the production features Richard Dix, Leslie Brooks and Michael Duane. It is the sixth of Columbia Picture ...

'' (1946) as Kay Morrell * '' The Man Who Dared'' (1946) as Lorna Claibourne * ''

Cigarette Girl In Europe and the United States, a cigarette girl is a person who sells or provides cigarettes from a tray held by a neck strap. They may also carry cigars and other items like candy, snacks, and chewing gum on their trays. Uniform The most ...

'' (1947) as Ellen Wilcox * ''

Romance on the High Seas ''Romance on the High Seas'' (released in the United Kingdom as ''It's Magic'') is a 1948 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz, and starred Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don DeFore and Doris Day in her film debut. Busby Be ...

'' (1948) as Miss Medwick * ''

'' (1948) as Claire Cummings Hanneman * ''

Hollow Triumph ''Hollow Triumph'' (working title ''The Man Who Murdered Himself'', reissued in the United States as ''The Scar'') is a 1948 American film noir crime film directed by Steve Sekely starring Paul Henreid, Joan Bennett and Leslie Brooks. It was rel ...

'' (1948) as Virginia Taylor * '' The Cobra Strikes'' (1948) as Olga Kaminoff * ''How's Your Love Life?'' (1971) as Dr. Maureen John

References

External links

* *
1940's Photos of Leslie Brooks
by

Ned Scott Ned Scott (April 16, 1907 – November 24, 1964) was an American photographer who worked in the Hollywood film industry as a still photographer from 1935–1948. As a member of the Camera Club of New York from 1930–34, he was heavily influ ...

1922 births 2011 deaths American film actresses Actresses from California Actresses from Nebraska Actors from Lincoln, Nebraska Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women {{US-film-actor-1920s-stub